Nature Watch: The Ups and Downs of Migration

About the author: Steve Ellis is a naturalist and Land Trust member who enjoys sharing his love of the natural world. His blog series, “Nature Watch,” will appear each month in “Habitchat,” chronicling native plants and wildlife you can expect to see during that particular time of year. We thank Steve for sharing his passion, illustrating the importance of island conservation.

Overview

Most people are familiar with the north/south migration pattern that brings bird species here in the Fall from Alaska and Canada. Lesser known is the vertical movement of species descending from the mountains to winter in the Puget Sound Lowlands.

Snow in the higher elevations of the North Cascade mountains quickly buries precious food sources. Birds such as Golden- and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrush and Red-breasted Sapsucker are some of the species that flee the mountain weather.

If you have appropriate habitat or feed birds, the chances are excellent that you’re hosting montane birds. Examples of species that visit feeders are Fox Sparrow, Varied Thrush and Pine Siskin.

All these birds accomplish in a mere 1,500-yard elevation change what northern Alaska birds search for in 2,000 miles of arduous flight: relatively mild winter conditions with adequate food resources.

Harlequin Ducks can be found on rocky shorelines and resting in kelp beds. Photo by Steve Ellis.

Fauna:  Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)

A waterfowl species might seem inappropriate in a discussion of mountain birds, but Harlequins are the odd duck when it comes to migration. Turbulent rivers in the North Cascades and Olympic Mountains are their preferred habitat. Some also breed in northeastern Washington’s Selkirk Mountains.

Harlequin Ducks are 15 to 18 inches in length and have a wingspan of 25 to 27 inches. The name comes from the multi-hues of breeding males, which have grayish-blue bodies and bright chestnut sides. White spots and other markings are found on the head and body. Females are overall dark brown with white patches on the head. Post-breeding birds are paler versions of their spring plumage.

Their preferred winter habitat is just off rocky shorelines, where they dive for snails and other marine invertebrates. Small fish are on the menu as well. Harlequins can also be found resting in kelp beds or on shoreline rocks.

Good places to view these unusual ducks include many sites on Whidbey’s west side: Deception Pass State Park, Hastie Lake boat launch, Libbey Beach Park, Fort Ebey State Park, and the Keystone ferry landing.

Bigleaf maple leaves can span 12 inches or more. Photo by Steve Ellis.

Flora: Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)

That autumnal splash of orange-yellow against the dark backdrop of firs and hemlocks is likely to be a bigleaf maple.

Just about everything associated with this stalwart species is big: massive trunk reaching three feet in diameter and a height of 80 feet; leaves that span 12 inches or more; a crown spreading 50 feet in diameter.

Some specimens have multiple stems from a single trunk. The bark is gray, becoming fissured with age and often hosting moss, lichens and licorice ferns. As those die, they create soil in the bark cracks. The maples send roots into this soil to take advantage of the extra nutrition.

The leaves – up to two feet in length including the stalk – are the largest of any North American maple.  Leaf emergence occurs in early May, usually a short time after the advent of blossoms. The latter are greenish -yellow flowers that hang in cylindrical clusters, attracting various bee species as pollinators.

The seeds are golden-brown pairs attached to wings in a V-shape. These eventually spiral down in helicopter-blade rotation, often windblown far from the tree. Steller’s Jays, Purple Finches and Hairy Woodpeckers eat the seeds, as do Douglas squirrels and Townsend’s chipmunks.

Bigleaf maples grow on dry or moist sites, often associated with Douglas-fir. Look for them in forest openings caused by fires or other disturbances. Several Land Trust properties have fine examples of this attractive tree.

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